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Tampa uncuffed

Crackdown on busy I-4 stretch credited for drop in crash deaths

By SHANNON COLAVECCHIO-VAN SICKLER
Published July 29, 2005

The 25-mile stretch of Interstate 4 that runs between the Polk-Hillsborough county line and Interstate 75 in eastern Hillsborough has long been one of Tampa Bay's busiest and most dangerous corridors.

During a nine-day period last month, five motorists and passengers died.

But so far this month, there have been just four crashes. None were fatal.

The Florida Highway Patrol and Hillsborough Sheriff's Office credit a joint enforcement effort that began July 1 and has resulted in nearly 2,000 arrests and citations.

The initiative was planned long before June.

"Typically, these crashes are caused by carelessness and speed," said FHP spokesman Trooper Larry Coggins. "We've really been targeting that. The result is no deaths so far."

The Sheriff's Office and the FHP are using marked patrol cars, decoy vehicles and helicopters to catch people who aren't following the rules of the road.

"It's all the weapons in our arsenal," Coggins said.

FHP troopers through July 24 issued 477 citations for speeding, 54 for aggressive driving and 32 for driving without a license. They also made one drunken driving arrest and took into custody two motorists wanted on felony warrants.

Sheriff's deputies issued 576 citations for speeding and 131 for aggressive driving. They arrested nine people who had outstanding warrants for other charges.

POLICE SURVIVORS ARE THIS GROUP'S CONCERN: Four years have passed since Brenda Marrero's sister Lois, a Tampa police Officer, was shot dead by a fleeing bank robber.

But Marrero, 37, remembers all too well the most difficult period of grieving over the loss of her older sister. It was in the weeks after the July 2001 funeral - after the potlucks and sympathy cards stopped, and the police department's Critical Incident Team had finished its counseling and support - that Marrero felt the deepest despair and sadness.

"For the family, no one is there to guide you through the loss and to help them live again," said Marrero, who lives in Tampa.

Now Marrero has helped establish a local chapter of the national advocacy group COPS (short for Concerns of Police Survivors). COPS was founded 21 years ago to support the survivors of law enforcement officers who die in the line of duty. COPS chapters across the country help families with everything from death benefits paperwork to long-term counseling.

The West Central Florida Chapter serves Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Hernando, Citrus, Manatee, Sarasota, DeSoto and Hardee counties.

"This is a large area," Marrero said, "and that's a lot of potential survivors."

On Aug. 5 at 1 p.m. at MacDill Air Force Base, there will be a charity golf tournament to benefit COPS and the annual Police Unity Tour, which raises money to support the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C.

"The cost of supporting families and survivors is an ever-rising cost," Marrero said. "They need our help."

For information about the local COPS chapter, call (813) 962-7261 or (813) 404-2996. For information about the golf tournament, call Heather Rhodes at (813) 810-4626.

DONOVAN UPDATE: It seems a canine cancer spokesman resonates with Tampa Bay residents.

Or maybe there are even more dog lovers around here than we thought.

Last week the St. Petersburg Times reported that Pam Bondi, spokeswoman for the Hillsborough State Attorney's Office, is ordering cancer awareness bracelets in honor of her St. Bernard, Donovan, who is undergoing chemotherapy for advanced lymphoma. Since then, preorders of the bracelets have been Harry Potter-esque.

"I've been keeping what I call the Donovan File," said Anne Brackett, a legal assistant to Bondi. "People call in, they send Pam e-mails, and I keep a record of who wants the bracelets and how many. Usually they want more than one."

Bondi ordered the bands, similar to the Live Strong bands made popular by Tour de France champion and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong, to show how confident she is that 8-year-old Donovan will recover.

He is undergoing 25 weeks of chemotherapy at Florida Veterinary Services, a Tampa pet clinic that has three oncologists dedicated to dogs.

Dozens of people from all over the country have called Bondi's office and sent her e-mails to offer donations in exchange for the bracelets. Bondi plans to give all proceeds to the Moffitt Cancer Center, which has pet therapy for patients.

"It just shows how much good is out there," Bondi said.

Contact Shannon Colavecchio-Van Sickler at 813 226-3373 or svansickler@sptimes.com

[Last modified July 29, 2005, 00:51:17]